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Police Refuse to Work HS Football Game after Players Take the Knee During National Anthem

Jefferson Parish Deputies in Louisiana are refusing to work extra shifts at Bonnabel High School football games after most of the team took the knee during the national anthem at a game last week.

“I was a bit taken aback at first. Keep in mind, I know what is happening nationally with some of the protests that's happening across the country,” Jefferson Parish Public Schools Superintendent Isaac Joseph said.

“They do have a right, and legally we do not have any right to punish or offer any sanctions against the team or team members,” Joseph said.

A picture posted on Facebook by a team member shows most of the team on one knee last weekend:

The team member wrote, “It [sp] a shame that my teammates really my brother can’t express themselves without being labeled as the bad guy.”

After the display at the football game, some police in Jefferson Parish took offense.

“My understanding is, we’ve had some officers that said they will not work the Bonnabel High football games,” Sheriff Newell Normand said. “I understand why, in light of Colin Kaepernick's comments, specifically when he says, ‘Cops are getting paid leave for killing people.’ That's not right, that's not right by anyone's standards. The fact of the matter is we risk our lives each and every day for the safety and security of our constituency throughout this country.”